Local tours

1 hour punting along the river Cam, propelled by local
lispers and other like-minded volunteers, followed by 90 minute walk
with qualified local guide, including Pembroke and Trinity
colleges.

In the year 1209 students escaping from hostile townspeople in Oxford fled to
Cambridge and formed a University here. The oldest college which still
exists, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284. The University now has 31
colleges (eight of which will be seen from the river). These are the
primary source of accommodation for University students and help to
arrange teaching in collaboration with the University departments and
faculties.

A punt
is a flat-bottomed boat which is driven forward by means of a long
pole. Punts were introduced as pleasure craft in Edwardian
times. Since then punting has become one of the most popular ways to
see the famous bridges and colleges along the River Cam. Today there
are probably more punts on the Cam than on any other river in
England. This is partly because the river is shallow and gravelly
(which makes it ideal for punting), but mainly because the Cam goes
through the heart of Cambridge town centre and passes close to many
very attractive old college buildings.

Established in 1347, Pembroke
is home to over 600 students and fellows, and is the third oldest of
the existing colleges. The college's gatehouse is the oldest in
Cambridge; the chapel dates from 1665 and was designed by Christopher
Wren.

Trinity
is the largest (and wealthiest) Cambridge college. Originally founded
by the infamous Henry VIII in 1546, its buildings include a
magnificent library
(also by Wren) and the the Great
Court. The Great Court houses a famous clock that chimes every 15
minutes and strikes the hour twice. Many have tried to run the 367
metres around the court in the 43 seconds that it takes to strike 12
o'clock, a feat recreated in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire (though
filmed in Eton College not Trinity). Known as the Great Court Run,
students traditionally attempt to complete the circuit on the day of
the Matriculation Dinner. The only people believed to have actually
completed the run in time are Lord Burghley in 1927 and Sebastian Coe
when he beat Steve Cram in a charity race in October 1988.

All day coach tour with qualified guide to the north of
Cambridge, taking in Anglesey Abbey (house and grounds) and Ely
Cathedral. Lunch not provided; there is a café at Anglesey
Abbey.

Anglesey
Abbey is a country house in the village of Lode, 6 miles northeast
of Cambridge. A community of Augustinian monks built a priory here
some time during the reign of Henry I, and acquired extra land from
the nearby village of Bottisham in 1279. The monks were expelled in
1535 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries; the priory was
acquired around 1600 by Thomas Hobson who converted it to a country
house, retaining a few arches from the original priory.

Today the house and its grounds are owned by the National Trust and
are open to the public. The 98 acres of landscaped grounds are divided
into a number of walks and gardens, with classical statuary, topiary
and flowerbeds. The grounds were laid out in an 18th-century style by
the estate's last private owner, the 1st Baron Fairhaven, in the
1930s. A large pool, the Quarry Pool, is believed to be the site of a
prehistoric coprolite mine. Lode Water Mill, dating from the 18th
century, was restored to working condition in 1982 and now sells flour
to visitors.

Eighteen miles north of Cambridge, the magnificent cathedral of Ely is known as the "Ship
of the Fens" for the distant views of its towers that dominate the
surrounding low-lying wetlands. Parts of the present building are Norman, since
which time it has been the subject of several major enlargement and
restoration projects. As with all buildings of its age and size, the
fact that it's still standing is in itself breathtaking. Go figure how
they built the central octagon, which rises from the whole breadth of
the building and towers up until its roof, a wooden lantern, forms the
only Gothic dome in existence. And don't miss the pavement
maze as you enter the building. Oh yes, and Wren left his
mark here too.

Angela Akehurst is a
Blue Badge guide
qualified to the high standards set by the Institute of Tourist
Guiding. Her special interests include art, architecture, garden
history, the Middle Ages, and religious heritage.

Price: £38

The small print

Prices cover vehicle hire, guide and entrance fees. Details subject
to change due to circumstances outside of our control. Both tours now
have sufficient registrations to go ahead. We won't be put off by a
spot of rain.